Sam Smith announces new pronouns of ‘they’ and ‘them’

File-This Feb. 20, 2019, file photo shows singer Sam Smith posing for photographers upon arrival at the Brit Awards in London. The Oscar-winning pop star has declared his pronouns “they/them” on social media after coming out as non-binary in his “lifetime of being at war with my gender.” The English “Too Good at Goodbyes” singer said Friday, Sept. 13, 2019, he’s decided to “embrace myself for who I am, inside and out …” (Photo by Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP, File)

This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

NEW YORK (AP) — Sam Smith has declared the pronouns of “they/them” on social media after coming out as non-binary in what the pop star called a “lifetime of being at war with my gender.”

The English “Too Good at Goodbyes” singer was met with thousands of mostly supportive comments, along with some detractors who questioned the need to change pronouns, an increasingly common practice both within and outside of the LGBTQ community.

“Today is a good day so here goes. I’ve decided I am changing my pronouns to THEY/THEM,” the 27-year-old Smith wrote on Twitter and Instagram. “After a lifetime of being at war with my gender I’ve decided to embrace myself for who I am, inside and out.”

Smith said they were excited and privileged for the support, adding that they’ve been “very nervous” about the announcement because they “care too much about what people think” but finally decided to go for it.

The singer noted: “P.s. I am at no stage just yet to eloquently speak at length about what it means to be non binary but I can’t wait for the day that I am. So for now I just want to be VISIBLE and open.”

Smith won an Oscar in 2016 for the song “Writing’s on the Wall,” from the James Bond thriller “Spectre” and received global attention in 2015 by winning four Grammy Awards, including best new artist Grammy and record of the year for “Stay With Me.”

___

This story has been corrected throughout to reflect Sam Smith’s pronouns and also corrects the year of Smith’s Grammy wins.

Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.